


Whats in a name

by Katthekitkat



Category: Predator Original Series (1987-1990), Predators (2010)
Genre: Backstory, Fluff, Human, Sweet, Yautja, Young
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 07:10:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20524004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katthekitkat/pseuds/Katthekitkat
Summary: Just a quick story about my Yautja Zu'kon and why he dislikes humans and how he came about the name Zika.





	Whats in a name

Feet pounding against the ground he races to the front of the pack. His blood roaring like fire and spurring him onwards. Zu’kon knew these training grounds better than most, spending most if not all his time here. He had to be the best and he had to out do all the others. Among the others where another yautja, Tekai’dhi. He ran hot on Zu’kons’ heels and made sure he knew it by reaching out and slapping his tress. Zu’kon responds with an unamused roar keeping his head down and weaving through and around all obstacles.

The race is over soon as Zu’kon snatches up the flag and punches the air in celebration of his win. All the others that competed clasp him over the shoulder, he had won fare and square and deserved the win, no need for outburst and anger. The old warrior that watched over them and trained them nods to Zu’kon, blue and grey tress falling forward as he acknowledges the young warrior and his win.

“Look at you go Zu’kon.” Tekai’dhi clicks as he clasps his hand on the males’ bicep. They touch crowns and part. “You did very well mei’hswei. I worry not that the hunting slot long side the old warrior is yours.”

Zu’kon nods his head and clicks, eyes creasing to show his joy. “I worked hard, and I know I am deserving of the slot.” Zu’kon doesn’t check his ego, still high off his win. “Maybe next time I should fake a fall and let you get in the lead.”

Tekai’dhi’s eyes widened and he playfully hits Zu’kon in the chest. “I could have easily won today. I am much faster than you and agility is my specialty. You, you are fat and weighed down with muscles. A typical brawler.” Zu’kon straightens his shoulders as the male continues. “But that’s why you better come back alive. I be damned I go into my blooding trials with out you and Ihtath on my side.”

Zu’kon relaxes and touches Tekai’dhi with a gentle hand. “You are so soft Tyr.” Zu’kon calls him by his nickname. “Worry not my mei’hswei. I will be back with time to spare. Till then, I wish you luck.”

-

Standing before the old warrior Zu’kon felt like a pup all over again meeting his sire for the first time. All the times before he had his brothers to draw strength from, today he gets his first glimpse of what it will be like in the future with out them. Still a young blood, he felt beyond grown up watching the old yautja sign documents and place his hunting slots. Letting all know he will be gone for a few cycles.

“You have done well today young one.” Glassy blue eyes lock with Zu’kons golden orbs and stare him down. “I am impressed and happy to see you have grown. The slot at my side is yours so rest easy. But this hunt isn’t going to be what you might be thinking.”

Zu’kon perks up at the sound of this yet his stomach slowly starts to drop. “_What could this old yautja be saying?” _Zu’kon thinks to himself.

“We are going to *Earth*.”

Zu’kon replys by cocking his head to one side, short tress swinging out.

“I have business there. A warrior has gone there for hunt and was killed. I need to make sure the oomans haven’t gotten their hands on any of his weapons. This will be a learning experience for you. I want you to stay hidden and learn about the terrain of the planet. The animals and plats also. I will test you on our way back and take an assessment. Don’t look at this as a burden. Now go and prepare your things. We leave soon.”

Zu’kon leaves wishing he had fallen down and allowed Tyr to win. This mission already sounded like something he would rather enjoy.

-

Preparing for the trip was made easy thanks to Zu’kon being a young blood. He didn’t own many weapons outside a dull spear and a single set of wrist blades. All honorably won in duals and set matches. It did little though when embarrassment ran cold up his spine and weighed down his belly the moment he saw the old warrior in all his glory in the door way of his personal ship with the most glorious armor on he’s ever seen. The dark metal made the old warrior look like god and screamed his success. Zu’kon could only dream of the day he might be able to stand in the males’ footprints.

On board the ship things weren’t as classy as other ships Zu’kon has had the pleasure to peep around. The layout was simple in design with plenty of inbuilt storage, a sleeping room, trophy room, bathing room, and a storage room. This ship wasn’t made to be lived on, just made comfortable enough to make long hauls a little easier. Still didn’t stop Zu’kon from looking around like a wanderlust child gripping the edge of his seat, beyond excited to be leaving the clan ship for the first time in his life. Born and raised on the clan ship, Zu’kon has never left it. Growing up he could always be found staring out the large observation windows dreaming about the day he could travel among the stars and stop off on any planet he wanted. Seems *Earth* will be his first planet.

During the flight out Zu’kon was bored. The old warrior didn’t speak much, but that didn’t bother him. Zu’kon was used to a silent life. Having lived in silence for most of it. Zu’kon was born at an odd time and to mix parents. His mother was a pure blood like most, but his father had darker blood in him. A blood that made him bigger and stronger, a berserker they learned to call them. Freaks of nature. They where rare and far and few in between. Scientist have tried to study them and pinpoint the exact gene sequence that causes this to happen. What makes it even harder for the scientist, on record there have only been three or four that didn’t turn into bad bloods and disappear. One being his father who committed suicide before the evil inside him took over his honor.

All his life Zu’kon has been poked and prodded by doctor after doctor and many more scientist. All of them trying to see if they could find any secrets hiding inside him. So far Zu’kon is clean with little evidence of the dark blood. Yes, he has a temper and a few bad qualities, but most of those could be chopped up to how he was raised and just generally being a young male.

Zu’kon carves little pieces of bone given to him by the old warrior who watches him as he makes little figures and sets them to the side. Zu’kon turns green when the old warrior told him that he would make a wonderful stay at home mate, picking on him before complimenting him on his skills and how good he was with his hands.

-

Soon as they both step of the ship, the old warrior hands Zu’kon a biomask. It is old in design and style, but it looked just like new. Zu’kon takes it, not going to say no to a gift from such an old and wise warrior.

“Now don’t you lose that thing. I want you to log everything you find and research it. You can be the strongest and the fastest yautja to ever live. But with no brains or knowledge to help you hunt, survive, guide your blade, you are nothing. I want you to work your brain got it?”

Zu’kon nods his head. “Yes sir.”

“Remember, stay in the forest, and stay away from the oomans. That will be a lesion for another trip.”

Zu’kon watches the old warrior turn on his cloaking and disappear. He doesn’t leave the clearing they landed until he knew for a fact the old warrior was gone. Only then did he curse out loud and kick a rock.

“I’m a warrior. Not some data collector.” Zu’kon grumbles. He doesn’t stay pissed off for long, snapping on the bio mask and starts to explore. He ends up running his toes through the dirt, it feels much different than the dirt he was used to on the clan ship in the training halls. The dirt there was beyond dry and puffed up with every step. Here, it held a lot of moister, making a very clean print and cool to the skin. His attention is drawn next to the way grass felt against his skin and that’s how the rest of his day goes. Zu’kon runs around the forest like a pup experiencing new things and making notes next to the names descriptions of the things he came across his biomask informed him of

Even with the sun setting Zu’kon still moves silently through the forest, loosing track of the length of ground between him and the ship. He couldn’t care, he was living for the first time and he wasn’t ready to give up that freedom again.

The smell of smoke, pine burning the mask informs him, grifts through the trees and he is left curious to find out. Half of him pulls and tugs for him to follow the rules and go back to the ship, but the more inquisitive and curios side of him pulled like a beast in the direction of where the smoke came from. Zu’kon couldn’t help himself as he darts off towards the source of the smoke.

Zu’kon follows the smell for what had to me a couple miles, moving deeper and deeper into the forest. He stops in the tree line when he comes across a road. He doesn’t know exactly what it is until the mask tells him like it has been doing the entire trip. He can see that form of tracks have been made on the road, but they are old and the rain from before he arrived has muddled the tracks Needing to know where these tracks lead to, Zu’kon starts to walk along them.

Eventually the tracks bring Zu’kon to what appears to be a small home made of wood and covered in loose foliage. Cleary who ever this home belongs to wants to keep it hidden. Zu’kon scoffs because he found it very easily.

Like a cat, Zu’kon keeps his body down low and stays among the larger trees and thicker bushes. His body so bulky and the light still bright out for him to move closer with detection. At this moment he wished he had been gifted a cloaking device also, but it was made clear to him that was only if he was to do what was told of him, then he would have no need for one.

Zu’kon watches the home, every now and then an ooman paces by the window. Sometime multiple times, sometimes just once or twice. Zu’kon stays in his hidden spot until the human walks out side, male, 6’0, healthy, and climbs into a vehicle and drives away down the dirt road.

Confident that no one was home now, Zu’kon comes out of hiding and easies down to the house. What he saw inside looked like something only elders could have stories about. Inside the window he peered through stood a long wooden table and on top of that table was the mangled corpse of a small ooman. It was missing body parts, but the sawed in half part is what really caught his attention. Zu’kon was scared by the sight or felt the need to run away. He was very sure he would see much worse and more gruesome sights the older he got.

Zu’kon knew the ooman that left was responsible for this. There was no one else around and the more he looked around, the more he realized he was only seeing one set of tracks. This ooman was trash and unworthy of life Zu’kon decides but he is afraid if he was to intervene than the older warrior would take back his gifts and punish Zu’kon for disobeying him. Or he only held that thought until some movement was captured by his biomask and he looks through a new window to see a tiny little ooman chained in a corner with hands and feet bound. The mask reads, female, child, hurt, unarmed.

Zu’kon couldn’t help himself as he walks around and breaks open the door. It was as though something had taken control of his body and he had to save that child. It might have been an ooman and it might grow up to be evil. But he didn’t care. All he knew was that, that was a child and they didn’t deserve to be where they are.

The little girl screams but the sound is small and broken. Her throat very raw from possibly screaming before. Zu’kon puts his hands up and tries to make himself smaller and less threatening. But the human girl sobs, but even more surprisingly, she never looks away from him. Impressed, Zu’kon moves forward and unties her wrist and ankles. Around this time the little ooman starts to calm down and goes limp for him. That is until he hears a gasp behind him, and the little girl starts to sob uncontrollably. Zu’kon looks behind him and growls when he sees the man standing in the doorway.

Zu’kon is on his feet and tackles the man before he could get anywhere near the vehicle. Having the male firmly in his hands, Zu’kon stands up and looks at the man, growling as anger roars through his blood and his ears ring.

“How dare you cause harm to a child you filthy beast.” Zu’kon roars at the ooman who shakes and trembles in his hold, weeping in a language Zu’kon has not yet learned.

The man slaps and kicks at Zu’kon who takes him into the forest for slaughter. He didn’t want the child to hear the males screams as he ripped his flesh from his bone whilst still alive.

Hours later Zu’kon returns to the child and finishes unchaining her. He ends up holding her close to his chest and walks through the forest looking for more of her kind. The child is quiet for most of it until Zu’kon comes out in a field and there a few houses sit. The child perks up and points to a single house and speaks, but Zu’kon didn’t understand and so he just brings her there.

They entire one home and he sits her down for a moment to scope out the place. Up stairs he finds what he believes is her parents laying dead. When he comes back down, she acts like she is about to dart up the stairs but Zu’kon catches her and shakes his head no. He soon learns that that is a universal sign and the little girl deflates in his arms and sobs against him. Not knowing what to do Zu’kon reaches for a blanket like think nearest them on some object and wraps her up tight and holds her in his lap.

Right before sunrise, Zu’kon figured it was best he brought the child to one of the other houses nearby. He wakes her from her sleep as he stands up and he is met by red puffy brown eyes.

“Zika.” The child croaks, voice small and broken. Zu’kon doesn’t understand but for the rest of the early dark morning she keeps repeating the word _Zika _followed by a bunch of other words. He figures she is talking to him, so he responds by clicking and grunting.

He ends up taking her to a house and she is quick to jump out his arms and runs up to the door. She beats on it with tiny little fist and screams as loud as she could, lights flicker on in the house and Zu’kon starts to step away back into the darkness. But he doesn’t slip away entirely until the little girl turns around and waves her hand saying what he figures must her name for him.

-

“Thank you Zika!”

A few years for Zu’kon has passed and he is getting closer and closer to his trials. He is so excited to become a blooded warrior that it makes his bones ache. But today he calms himself as he and a few other yautja go to earth for a quick little trip.

He is still wearing the same mask from that fateful day and plays over and over again the last thing that little girl he saved told him. “Thank you Zika.”

When they land on the earth Zu’kon slips away and works his way to the house the little girl and him went to first. Zu’kon knew he wouldn’t be missed. He was given permission to explore alone since he had already once been in the area and didn’t need a teacher by his side.

Zu’kon is happy to see that the house still stands and with the cover of nightfall he slips into the back yard of the house and looks around. It is clearly lived in, small objects that looked like toys litter the ground and warmth ebbs out of the house with a single light on.

Zu’kon stands out of reach of the light and watches to see if he could possibly spot the little girl but nothing ever happens. Until a sharp gasp rings behind him and he sees a tall adult female come walking out of a light building he seemed to have missed upon first slipping into the yard.

Zu’kon backs away, ready to bolt but is frozen in his tracks when he hears that name.

“Zika?” The woman steps towards him with her hands up and says something else but Zu’kon still couldn’t understand her. He was still having trouble with seeing the child all grown up now. To him, he felt like he had been on earth and saved her just a year or two ago.

Zu’kon nods his head and allows the human to step forward, her small hands coming up to touch his chest.

“Zika.” She smiles wide and it spooks him at first, but the old warrior had explained humans to him on the trip back to the clan ship, so he didn’t spook away.

Zu’kon lets her talk and touch his body, he even reaches out to touch her long hair, surprised by its softness. He wishes he could understand her, but till that day comes, he records her voice for later.

The moon high in the sky Zu’kon motions that he must leave. The female is saddened by this, but she still smiles. Before he could go, the female reaches up and brings his head down and presses her lips to his mask and dips her head. Zu’kon chuffs for the female in return.

-

On the trip back to the clan ship, Zu’kon decides he will have nothing to do with humans. They where soft and easy pray and he didn’t like them very much. But maybe it is because of something deeper.


End file.
